Jazz Bass Pickguard Swap

[cade711]

Hi team,

Can anyone confirm for me, will a standard Fender Jazz Bass pickguard fit appropriately to the PBG JB-4?
Not 100% certain how closely the shape is modelled to USA and Mexican made Fender body.

Thanks for reading.

[wokkaboy]

Hi Cade what is the reason you choosing another colour pickguard ? I would say in most cases they should be pretty damn close in shape, might need a slight modification to fit but most likely it will fit okay.
I wouldn't spend up on genuine Fender pickguards, I would order a couple of cheaper ones on fle-bay so you have 2 to choose from. I usually grab at least 2 colours too to experiment how it looks with the hardware on. Like black or tortise shell red or another colour that may suit the stain/paint colour

[cade711]

Hi Cade what is the reason you choosing another colour pickguard ? I would say in most cases they should be pretty damn close in shape, might need a slight modification to fit but most likely it will fit okay.
I wouldn't spend up on genuine Fender pickguards, I would order a couple of cheaper ones on fle-bay so you have 2 to choose from. I usually grab at least 2 colours too to experiment how it looks with the hardware on. Like black or tortise shell red or another colour that may suit the stain/paint colour

Thanks Wokka, just looking to up the aesthetics and keep it a bit more unique. I'm keeping the standard hardware as I haven't got the experience yet to confidently change much regarding the kit. So I figured the more I can change from a simple image point of view the more personal I can make it.
I've been looking at graphical design pickguards rather than a solid colour

[wokkaboy]

cool no worries Cade sounds good. There are so many cool graphic design pickguards to choose from. I remember seeing a cool one with white and black squares that got smaller and looked like you were looking into a tunnel of black and white tiles

[cade711]

I was looking at these and was very tempted. It says suitable for 4 string J Bass however my current guard does not have that little hemisphere gap at the base where the neck sits. Reasonable cost, but not if it's the wrong part haha.
http://www.greasygroove.com/products.php?cat=66

[wokkaboy]

They look very cool Cade, US $35 + postage wow that's getting up there !
The shapes look very similar to me other than a longer extension toward the top horn. Is it worth trying to print an image on paper with the bottom side sticky and try and stick the image on your current pickguard and trim it to size ? Only problem it will probably get ripped up with use and abuse of a bass player

EDIT this is the one I had seen before, great 3D effect

http://www.greasygroove.com/proddeta...99-PG-F-S-D-JB

[andrewdosborne]

Another thing to consider is the pickguard pup route. Fender pups are a bit bigger than the kit supplied ones so naturally the pickguard route is bigger -unless you're upgrading the neck pup in which case it doesn't matter

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

[cade711]

They look very cool Cade, US $35 + postage wow that's getting up there !
The shapes look very similar to me other than a longer extension toward the top horn. Is it worth trying to print an image on paper with the bottom side sticky and try and stick the image on your current pickguard and trim it to size ? Only problem it will probably get ripped up with use and abuse of a bass player

EDIT this is the one I had seen before, great 3D effect

http://www.greasygroove.com/proddeta...99-PG-F-S-D-JB

I'm considering ordering vinyl die-cut auto decals. Should be more dureable then trying to print/laminate but probably worth a go before I take the risk of buying something pricey.

Thanks for the info about pickups Andrew. I wasn't going to upgrade hardware at this stage so I might wait until a future build.

[Brendan]

From memory the screw holes from a standard Fender are a slightly different spacing - I had to modify a pickguard I bought online to fit.

[wazkelly]

The ones on those links show a cut out for adjusting truss rod at the body end whereas PGB kits are all adjusted up at the nut end of the neck.
Have to agree about screw holes as I have bought a few Strat scratch plates over the years and forever had to fill and re-drill to make them fit.